


The Song of the Horse God

by artistica18



Series: Wild’s Wide World [2]
Category: LinkedUniverse - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, F/M, That’s really all it is tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 03:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19804237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artistica18/pseuds/artistica18
Summary: Wild recognizes Epona’s Song as the same melody of Malanya and makes a disturbing connection.Time meets the Horse God and makes a devastating connection.Hylia makes a grave mistake.





	The Song of the Horse God

**Author's Note:**

> As always, LU belongs to Jojo.

The fire flickers, casting dark shadows upon the ground as the group lounges around it.

Wild cooks in silence, and for a while, no one breaks it. 

Warriors shakes his head. “You’d think someone had died. Hey, old man, why don’t you play us a song?”

Time looks up. “Well, I suppose I could. Any requests?”

“What about Epona’s song?” Twilight suggests, looking over at the horses that Wild had provided. Time and Twilight had come to an agreement about who would ride Epona, and they traded off every other day. Legend still refused to come within ten feet of Garuda, the massive Gerudo stallion, to everyone’s amusement.

“Sure, I can do that.” Time takes out the small wooden ocarina he still carried. He raises it to his lips and starts to play.

As he did, Wild stops his cooking and looks up to listen. When Time finishes his song, Wild tilts his head. “Huh. I didn’t think Malanya’s song was that old. I guess it makes sense for a god.” He then goes right back to cooking, missing the stare that Time was giving him.

“Wild?”

“Yeah?”

“What god?”

Wild looks up again, this time seeing the look on Time’s face. He looks almost ready to break. “Uh, Malanya, the horse god? They protect the stables and the wild horses, and can even revive them from the dead for the right price. That’s their song. Do you not have that one in your world?”

“No... It’s always been Epona’s song, the one she comes to. Malon taught it to me, and she learned it from her mother.”

“Oh. I guess it’s just been passed down for so long...” Wild startles upright like he’s been struck by lightning. “Or.. hm. No. No I don’t... it can’t be.” He doesn’t look very convinced.

“Wild?”

Wild suddenly looks very uncomfortable, but his face shifts to a look of resignation. “The spring is less than a day’s ride from here. I’ll take you tomorrow. I think you’re going to want to see them for yourself.”

Time doesn’t much like the sound of that, but he also knows that he won’t be able to drag any more answers out of Wild now. The rest of the group goes back to eating, in an uncomfortable silence. Only Wild knew what had really occurred.

It actually takes almost the entire day to get to the mountain pass. A combination of taking the long way to avoid a heavily populated Moblin camp and Hyrule and Wild’s tendencies to wander meant that what should have been a half a day’s ride to the spring turns into stopping at Highland stable for the night.

It’s not until they had all settled in for the night that Wild approaches Time. “Hey so... I think we should go. Just us two. I’m not sure if you’ll want the others there for this or not.”

Time looks worried. “Wild, why aren’t you telling me what’s really going on?”

Wild doesn’t answer right away. Finally he sighs, “I don’t... I don’t think you’ll be happy with what you find. I’m not even sure I want to show you but... I also think you deserve to know.”

Time just shakes his head. “I’ll be fine, I’ve dealt with worse.”

Wild looks skeptical.

“We’ll all go together in the morning. There’s safety in numbers. Now go to sleep and don’t worry about me. It’s my job to worry about you,” he adds with a smile.

Wild scowls and mutters something about not being a child, but still heads to his own bed.

Time doesn’t sleep that night.

It’s a beautiful day when they finally set out for the spring. This makes it all the more unsettling when, barely an hour later, the sky grows dark with clouds. Wild seems unbothered, leading the way up the path. The rocks split, and Wild directs them off of the main road, up a trail that is barely wide enough for the horses, forcing them into a single file line over a rickety bridge.

It is Legend who sees it first. The walls begin to close in, and a deep purple light illuminates the underside of a ring of pointed white rocks. It almost looks like a fairy fountain, but... it’s not. It’s dark and foreboding, and it doesn’t smell like the heavy perfume of the Great Fairies. It smells like a stable. It smells of hay and horses and it’s comforting in a way that clashes strongly with the overall feeling of wrongness. There’s a familiarity in the air here that can’t quite be placed, and none feel it as strongly as Time. 

Wild dismounts from his Cycle and slowly approaches the spring. He takes a deep breath and steps up onto the side.

There’s a low rumbling in the earth and the Links hold a little tighter to their horses, but the animals are surprisingly calm. Even the flighty Stonepelt does not flinch. It would seem only humans must face Malanya’s ire.

There is an explosion.

The masked face and floating hands of Malanya burst forth from the fountain and the rattling of their body echoes off of the cliff sides with the sound of skulls rolling across the floor. They lean down over Wild with a screech.

“ **You again? Why have you disturbed me once more, little murderer?** ” Their voice sounds like the shaking of bones and the thundering of a thousand hooves. It causes the earth to quake beneath the party and hearts to stop in fear. 

The horses do not react any more than a friendly wicker. 

Before Wild can speak, Malanya sees Epona.

Malanya sees Time.

And Malanya...

Stops.

Stares.

Stares unblinking with no eyes, stares right down into Time’s soul, stares into his heart.

Time feels a tug in his chest and he dismounts, walking forwards with careful steps. 

Malanya lowers their face until they are only inches away, and still does not speak.

Instead they begin to sing.

It is not the rattling of bone or the thundering of hooves. It is gentle. It is soft. It is all too familiar. It is the voice of a young girl standing at a castle gate, trying to find her father. It is the voice of a young woman in a pasture, trying to save her farm. It is the voice of she who married a hero and mothered a legacy. 

And in that moment, time stops.

And in that moment, Time understands.

Everything freezes and for a moment that stretches out like a rubber band, there is no Hyrule, or horses, or spring. This no one else but Link, and his wife, and their rage at the goddess who cursed them like this.

Link blinks away tears as he steps closer to Malon, who stretches her arms out to him. He collapses into her embrace and holds her tightly. 

“Hylia will pay,” he whispers.

Malon cups his cheek and stares into eyes. There is a darkness in her gaze, a wrath that is not found in the owner of Lon Lon Ranch, that belongs only to a righteous and furious god. 

“Link. Do not give her the mercy of death. She must understand.”

The moment ends and Time returns again to the present. Malon is gone, Malanya has vanished, and the others are staring at him in fear. His face is wet with tears and his palms are bleeding from where his nails have dug into them. 

Wild takes a hesitant step forwards. “Time, I ... I’m sor-“

“Stop.” His voice is rough and it is hard to breathe. “This isn’t your fault. Thank you for showing me.” He opens his eye again and Wild almost turns and runs from the rage and fire he sees there. 

“She has gone too far this time.”


End file.
